Navigation in the Black Sea finds its beginnings as far back as prehistory. The early navigation on the West Pontic coast is related to the development of the Thracian and the Geto-Dacian civilizations, and also, to the Greek colonization. The history of navigation in these places begins with the Istros, known since the time of the Egyptians. The western Black Sea coast area was part of the freight traffic system of the Greco-Roman world. The goods arriving by sea in the Balkan peninsula provinces were then distributed on the navigable rivers. The importance of Tomis, for the Roman trade in the Black Sea, is illustrated by the large number of epigraphic attestations of merchants and sailors existing in the metropolis. In the Roman-Byzantine period, in the province of Scythia Minor (at the time, the West Pontic coast belonged to this roman province), numerous naval and maritime units were concentrated, along with ground troops.